This is The Story

How did the shopping department success Woolworth's come to be?  Who ever heard about the comedian W.C. Fields getting his start out of a pool game?  Many Americans learned the how's and why's of these and other stories. This is the Story was a radio program that ran during the late 1940's and into the fifties, telling the little known trivia and untold lessons of the people, places and machines that Americans knew.

This is The Story Radio Program was the encyclopedia of the airwaves. Radio was a medium to get the "word out" as it were and often that word was the stories of providing hope and glee to listening hearts all over. This is the Story was one such program and it never failed to register a rapt attention in living rooms and bedrooms, as the "story" unfolded to millions every week.. Yes..."this is the story!"

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In one episode, William Holmes McGuffy was a preacher and teacher.  His was a life devoted to personal faith and education.  In fact, million of Americans received their early education from the primer's created by this frontier educator that believed in putting his Christian faith into his readings. But , what many people do not realize is how this modest man first began his writing of the first McGuffy primers.  He and his wife, Harriet, were wanting to move on out of the college he worked at, but they did not have the financial means to do so. "This is the Story" takes up this part of the saga that told the story of the publishing company that contracted McGuffy to create a simple work for educators. Through the frustration of not knowing where their next meal would come from, William and Harriet, stayed in faith and pursued by creating the waited upon publication. The publisher was so impressed, he asked McGuffy to create more of the simple readers that taught generations of young children.

Superimposed next to this story in contrast is the legacy of W.C. Fields and how he went from being a commonly known juggler on vaudeville to one of most famous comedians that loved his drink and frivolity. Fields fell upon hard times in his current career and looked for his next nickel for a drink and a meal.The story spotlighted his hilarious antics with a pool cue that spoke the billiard skills of the bulbous-nosed rapscallion. It was during this performance of skill and wit that someone noticed the potential in Fields and offered him an opportunity to travel giving similar performances around the country. From this one-stop saloon appearance to the history of stage and film, W.C. Fields found his career.

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There many more programs like this focus on the unknown tidbits that shaped our culture, history and world.  People would tune into the radio for a bit of education, a dab of insight and a whole lot of entertainment. These series of programs were a gentle respite at a time that the world was in turmoil.  This is the Story gave laughter, learning and longing. It gave hope.

See also: Mr President and Ripley's Believe It Or Not. This collection is not to be confused with Red Cross' This is My Story radio broadcasts from 1943.